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February 15, 2012 Posted 1 week ago
We’ve all seen or heard of the Hollywood classic when Harry met Sally, well this weekend gone in Paris we were treated to a Rugby version – When Jamie met Hari. Rather than two of the top number 8’s in world rugby going into battle, we saw the Irish and Leinster hero ask Imanol Harinordoquy if he fancied a few drinks. A light hearted moment amongst what was one of the most farcical things ever seen in the professional age of Rugby. A 9pm. kick-off was always questionable, but when the announcement came through the TV at 8:53 that the match was off, it raised more than a few eyebrows. Fans sitting in the Stade de France were alerted to the cancellation by text messages from people watching at home, before finally, some 12 minutes after those watching on TV were told, an official announcement in the stadium came. The announcement was met with bemusement and disbelief. It had been on people’s minds in the days leading up to the game but when the initial pitch inspection gave the green light everyone thought HUZZAH! Game on. There were little to no indications inside the stadium to say otherwise, but when no national anthems were sang by 8:55 everyone had a fair idea. It was a nightmare. Initially referee Dave Pearson, was on the receiving end of some abuse from those in the stands before it dawned on the crowd, Pearson wasn’t at fault at all. He was merely acting to ensure player welfare was at a paramount and bravo for that ballsy call. As much as I and most Irish fans would love to blast Pearson, he is totally blameless in this. The total and full responsibility rested on the French organisers. How was it that this world class, modern, 80,000 seater stadium, which has hosted both the soccer and rugby world cup finals managed to fall victim of some cold weather? How was it that the French Rugby Federation couldn’t be better prepared for this? How could the whole thing be handled so badly? This is Paris, a city famed for architecture, yet their national stadium caused an international embarrassment. Vincent Clerc had spoke in the week leading up the match about his concerns for the pitch; it was frozen in parts during the game against Italy a week earlier. Surely the ground staff must have had a better idea? Why were pitch inspections held at four and seven pm the day before kick off? Surely an inspection at the same time of kick off, would have given better results as to what would happen on the night? Anyone who knows the smallest bit about farming could tell you that, in cold weather conditions, when you have a covered area of grass, removing said cover will just make the area freeze over super fast. How can the ground staff of a world class stadium not know this? There are so many questions surrounding what was an absolute joke last Saturday that you would be forgiven if you complained of migraine trying to get to the bottom of it all. In an even more bizarre move, the FFR held a press conference following the announcement that referee Dave Pearson, had decided the match would not take place. At this press conference Mr. Pearson was nowhere to be seen and no questions were to be asked. This has not been a good image building exercise for French rugby, granted it’s not quite Mathieu Bastareaud and New Zealand 2009, but it is an embarrassing situation that has left them the subject of snide comments and sneering jokes. The flip side of the game being called off for Ireland? Having lost to Wales a fixture with France was the least favourite follow up game. The rescheduled fixture is now March 4, meaning Ireland’s next game is a home encounter with Italy, offering a golden opportunity to get a win and build up some confidence and belief ahead of the proposed new date. This leaves the two nations with the daunting task of four games in four weeks. Simply translated this means advantage Wales and England in the hunt for Championship glory. Oh, and sadly Hari said no to Jamie, another Valentines heart crushed, but at least we have the sequel to look forward to in three weeks time. Danny Murray - @danjomurray
February 14, 2012 It’s what you do with the ball that counts Posted 1 week, 1 day ago
Wales beat Scotland by 27 -13. And although it was a comfortable win for the Welsh, there was every reason that it shouldn’t have been. Wales may have outscored the Scots by three tries to one1, but in truth, the opposition were in the ascendency for long periods of the game. The Scottish pack snaffled 61% of the possession and secured 59% of the territory. Their lineout and scrum was perfect for the entire game – they didn’t lose a single scrum or lineout on their own ball. The Scottish back row gummed-up the breakdown, with Ross Rennie’s effectiveness being particularly hard to stomach for Welsh supporters – which is ironic given his surname. However, it is worth mentioning that whilst much will be made of the Scottish pack’s display, they were essentially playing against a second string eight. Wales were missing five starting players and both Ryan Jones and the debutant Aaron Shingler were playing in positions that neither would regard as their strongest. Scotland didn’t just rule up front though, they also completed more passes, beat more defenders and offloaded the ball nearly twice as much as Wales. But unfortunately for Scotland, this all proves that it doesn’t matter how much ball you have; it’s what you do with it that counts. The Welsh backline only had 39% of the ball, but that was enough to score three tries and finish the game thirty minutes before the final whistle. Admittedly, Scotland’s two yellow cards helped, but the Welsh three quarters were clinical, almost surgical, with Leigh Halfpenny and Alex Cuthbert providing the deepest incisions. Cuthbert was impressive. At 6”6’ and 16st 6lbs he is the biggest wing in the tournament and his acceleration into the tackle caused Scotland endless problems on Sunday. The manner in which he dispatched Laidlaw on the way to the try line brought up the sort of mismatch that you normally see at an under 12’s game – Cuthbert being the player who already has stubble and chest hair, Laidlaw the one whose shorts have been bought for him to grow into. The Blues wing relentlessly chased Priestland’s accurate kicks, made six tackles and missed none. But it was his left handed pass to set up Leigh Halfpenny’s try that was the most pleasing - choosing a simple pass (off his wrong hand) demonstrated a maturity and awareness rarely seen in single cap wings. If Cuthbert’s performance came as a surprise to many, Leigh Halfpenny’s didn’t. The Blues fullback (and I call him a fullback because that is where he should play) is fast becoming the first name on Gatland’s team. If his currency within world rugby rises any higher, he is going to require a name change. Having been given the kicking tee by Gatland, Halfpenny restored the Welsh goal kicking percentage to 83.3%, up 40% on last week’s efforts against Ireland. Halfpenny’s running lines were direct and his neat, consistent stride pattern yet again delivered zero loss of pace when changing direction. Another notable facet of his play is his desire to get around the back of the posts when touching down for a try. A rash of fanciful dives and elaborate try celebrations from modern wing three quarters often leave unnecessarily difficult conversions for goal kickers. Whilst the Welsh backline were superb with ball in hand, there is one player who doesn’t need the ball to make his mark on the game. Dan Lydiate’s defensive performance was world class. In fact, I think he may even have written the ‘Tackling’ text book. Lydiate’s line speed and repertoire of ankle, waist, and wrap tackles dictate where the ‘tackle-line’ is. We rarely hear about the ‘tackle-line’; its importance is dwarfed by its big brother the ‘gain-line’. But the tackle-line dictates just how far you have to travel in order to get to the gain-line, and with current defensive alignments already making the gainline a difficult ask, Lydiate’s defensive capabilities make it even harder. Despite a promising performance from the Scottish pack, Wales won comfortably. It proves that it doesn’t matter how much ball you have, it’s what you do with it that counts. I think we are all looking forward to seeing what the Welsh team do with it at Twickenham.
Posted 1 week, 1 day ago
Pitted against the Dragons’ fire, Scotland were not quite the phoenix some had expected, but they were not quite the chocolate fireguard, either. For brief spell they burned brightly, only to melt under pressure later on. It is hard to surmise the mood in the North because such sporadic performances can be both encouraging and demoralising. In fact, to put it in more specific terms, the team performed admirably but individuals made victory that much harder. Chris Cusiter was bold and full of voice in the first half. He strived to move defenders before hitting Laidlaw and he was Scotland’s only clearing option for most of his time on the pitch. Then he made a blunder in the start of the second half, flapping a foot at the restart and dabbing it into touch. From the resulting lineout the Welsh built pressure and a score came. Suddenly Cusiter’s attempts to stretch looked more like crabbing alongside play, slowing things down. His box-kicks looked too long and aimed directly at Cuthbert and Halfpenny. He was replaced. Scotland’s team were full of moments of inspiration and despair on Sunday afternoon. Laidlaw ran quite well and scored Scotland’s try and almost chipped his way to another. He struggled to clear his lines, though, and he could have missed out Sean Lamont more. Indeed Lamont showed again that he is not a viable option at twelve. Too many times he fended with his hand, tucked and cut inside or trucked straight ahead. Two years ago that was great because he would push his torso through and lay off an offload. On Sunday this was never going to happen. He looked better when he drifted to the fringes. Outside him De Luca was busy and chatted well in defence, but his yellow card was a moment of inexcusable idiocy. With him off for ferreting at Jonathan Davies off the ball Wales were a man up and scored in the corner with Halfpenny. This try was made to look worse by a poor positional slip by Lee Jones, but the numbers showed. Moments later Scotland were down to thirteen men as Rory Lamont infringed from an offside position, again earning a silly yellow card. There were errors of judgement like this all over the park, from Jacobsen’s panicked pick-up attempt a metre from Wales’ line, to the poor pass from De Luca to Hogg which should have been a try on the kid’s debut. Now, I have deliberately missed three things out in the first part of this breakdown. I have not mentioned how well Wales blitzed, with Lydiate and Davies leading the way, and I did not mention the referee Roman Poite who disallowed a perfectly good try. I did not mention these two factors because Scotland did not lose to Wales because of a wrong refereeing decision, much like they did not lose to Wales because they failed to deal with a player shooting out of the line wider out. Scotland lost to Wales because they had no consistency of performance whilst Wales played in the same blitzing, slinging manner for 80 minutes. The other reason I have erred on the critical side in the first half of this piece is because my third missing point is the most encouraging one and it is the reason Scotland were not humiliated, despite their senseless yellow cards and their inconsistencies. Scotland showed fleeting moments of brilliance. Blair replaced Cusiter and looked sharp. Laidlaw threatened and was always on the move. Jim Hamilton had the game of his life and was the player I thought epitomised Scotland’s spirit for the entirety of his game, from smashing George North to smothering lineout catchers to rucking and harrying like a man possessed. Ross Rennie seems to be the accidental polymath. He looks like he has wandered onto the pitch with socks down, in the way of someone else’s periphery, but then he brightly bursts into position, chasing hard and linking play with exceptional pace. He shot through rucks and brushed scrum-halves all game, if only to slow ball for a second. He was good at everything he tried. He was brilliant. Richie Gray, perhaps jealous that the other monster with a barnet David Denton soaked up all the accolades last week, ran as if he intended to dent the stadium. His mate at eight did the same again. Stuart Hogg, on for the injured Evans, moved to full-back and looked like he was creating space just by existing. He burned past Lion Jamie Roberts as if he were a water carrier. He jinked into holes and was assured under the high ball. He seemed more of a skilled focal point. He scored on his debut, despite it being chalked off. On top of all of this Scotland’s first half defence and scramble defence when numbers down was exceptional. The voices rang in unison and no one shirked a hit. They may have lost but they left an indelible mark on their red running rivals. Scotland fans will be encouraged by Laidlaw, Blair and Hogg, Rennie, Gray, Denton and Hamilton. All should play in the next fixture. The mission for Scotland now is to decide whether they change the centres to keep pace with their nippy half-backs, careening back-row and enigma at fifteen. Sort that and the inconsistencies may just dwindle. Things may just brighten up again. Alan Dymock- @ScotRugbyBlog
February 13, 2012 Red Rose plough their way to second victory Posted 1 week, 2 days ago
England’s post-World Cup rehabilitation gathered further momentum on Saturday when they stormed the Stadio Olimpico and came away with a gritty and spirited 19-15 win, a result that may make some experts sit up and take notice of this fledging side. Was the performance faultless? No. Are there improvements to be made? Certainly. Does that take the shine off of this result? Absolutely not. Consider for a moment that France, a side who went on to reach the World Cup final, lost in Rome in last year’s Six Nations in much better conditions and you get a sense of just how impressive this victory was for an inexperienced but growing England outfit. The first challenge for the men in white was not their opposition but the state of the pitch and the conditions in the Italian capital. With snow covering a major percentage of the Stadio Olimpico field at kick-off, any form of expansive, running rugby was always going to be hard to fashion. In fact the opening half-hour of the match was almost farcical, as a cocktail of messy scrums and dreadful kicking must have left the Rome crowd wishing that the game had been postponed. Somehow in the melee, the cool and collected Owen Farrell had managed to kick England into a 6-0 lead with two long-range penalties. But in the closing stages of the opening period, the visitors threw away all of their hard work as they gifted the Azzurri two tries in as many minutes. Sloppy errors in defence by England allowed Giovanbattista Venditti and Tomasso Benvenuti to run in a score apiece and after a first half that they had kept tight for the majority, Stuart Lancaster’s side were 12-6 at the break. But as is the way with this new-look side, England came out in the second half and played with a determination that defied the elements and the odds. Despite a penalty from Kris Burton extending the hosts’ lead, a chargedown try by Charlie Hodgson, for the second week in a row, dragged England back into contention. Two more penalties from Farrell, who is already looking like a world-class player in this embryonic side, put the Red Rose in front and it was a lead they held onto until full-time. An excellent result away from home for England but there may well be changes ahead of the visit of Wales in two weeks time. Ben Morgan and Lee Dickson came off the bench in the second half and made an instant impact; giving the team much more impetus and making the visitors look increasingly dangerous when they attacked the Italian defence. Morgan and Dickson must now start against the Welsh at Twickenham if England are to avoid the sort of slow start they endured against both Scotland and Italy. So England sit second on the Six Nations table with two wins from two and Lancaster must be wondering just how difficult international rugby management can get. Well with Wales, France and Ireland still to play, it is going to get a lot tougher but with two impressive away victories behind them, many England fans will be wondering just how far they can go in this competition. Ashley Lambell @ntfcash
Snow, blood, sweat, ribs and tears Posted 1 week, 2 days ago
They say it snows once every eight years in Rome. Fittingly or poetically, the Olimpico was indeed sheeted with snow for the Azzurri's Six Nations debut at the venue. The Italians began the match not at all intimidated by their opponents nor surroundings, and the backs and third-liners were playing aggressive defence. The forwards were also dominating the line-outs. But the Azzurri's eagerness was at times taking the worst out of them, especially on the attack, when silly handling errors were keeping them from scoring during the first quarter of the match. It was all sounding too familiar: bruising Italians dominating the first stages of the match, but facing a side that doesn't lose its cool nor confidence for a second. Her Majesty's subjects were punishing enough themselves, and were also making sure the Italian backs didn't take any liberties once inside the English defensive line. Indeed, after the mistake of Italy's most celebrated player, the English sink a penalty kick while surpassing the 500-point all-time mark against their Mediterranean adversaries. At the 32-minute mark, the proverbial opera-singing tenor would have shouted 'tragedia!', followed by a desperate cry: Martín Castrogiovanni fractures at least one rib after a hard, clean blindside tackle and is lost for perhaps the remainder of the tournament. Right after that, another penalty and three more points for England with four minutes left in the half. When all seemed lost, however, captain Parisse lifted the team's spirits by recovering a ball which looked all but lost in a ruck, after which the Azzurri followed through with their attack, forced a couple of defensive mistakes on the English and recorded a try, not converted, but wholeheartedly celebrated by a 72,000-plus crowd. And at the last play of the half, superstitious fellows would be figuring it was big Castrogiovanni jinxing it, because the Azzurri capitalised on an improbable Ben Foden mistake to run almost the length of the field and ground the ball between the posts for seven points. At the return, the question was whether the young Italian side would be battle-scarred enough to hold off the English. The first answer to that question was 'no' when Burton's incomprehensible long-distance drop goal attempt went for naught at the three-minute mark. Nevertheless, after two runs taken by the English against Sergio Parisse, which brought fears of yet another match-ending injury to a top-notch player, Burton fixed his boot and recorded three more points from the ensuing penalty. They were to be the Azzurri's last in the match. Any doubts the English would be able to regroup were smashed by a textbook, deep charge-down on Andrea Masi, of all people, delivered and followed by Charlie Hodgson for a try, subsequently duly converted for the full seven points. This was 'all' that was required to break the Azzurri's spirits. The next penalty conceded by the home side was converted for three points, which put England ahead for the first time and for good. Smart defensive play by the boys in blue prevented another English try at the 62-minute mark. But Parisse then played the unlikely sinner when he fumbled the ball while being hardly touched following another one his textbook quick retrievals. Italy collapsed the ensuing scrum and England converted the easy penalty to put final numbers on the board. The crowd kept on pushing; il Capitano kept on not holding anything back despite being visibly injured and his men rallied around him. Parisse's play was indeed worth of man of the match honours precisely because of that. England played rugby through trying to put together an effective, but boring, collective game. But, Italy just lacks three or four pieces to build enough depth in order to constantly defeat the more traditional opponents. The mistakes were fewer than last week, but they have cost them dearly. If it wasn't for Burton's and Botes' below-par kicking, they could have won this one nonetheless. On a lighter note, I, for one, am not notorious for pitying Frenchmen, but the camera close-ups on Monsieur Brunel from the Hodgson try were heart breaking. It is unfortunate that it seems Italy is once again fighting against holding on to the wooden spoon. But it does look like they won't be perennial holders in the future -baby steps the next couple of seasons should put them well ahead of that. Daniel Bergamasco - @doubles666
February 11, 2012 Posted 1 week, 4 days ago
Oh to visit Paris in the Spring, what a wonderful time to visit such a city. Great art, great food, great wine, and the city of romance...ideal for a weekend break, unless you're a travelling Irish rugby team. Just twice in the past 60 years have Ireland taken a 'W' from French soil, 1972 and the year of our 'BOD' and saviour, 2000. Last Sunday, Declan Kidney saw his men slump to a better Welsh team for the third game in a row. Out powered, out played, and out manoeuvred - surely a change has to take place? Yes. Just one however, Keith Earls enters the fray at 13 and Fergus McFadden falls to the bench. Besides Keith Earls, the Ireland team is place for place the same team that lost to Wales last week. In my humble opinion, one change is not enough. An unchanged pack and line up will mean Ireland will struggle to contain the French. Earls is weak defensively, having guys like Aurelien Rougerie, running at him is the last thing the Irish would want. Should France decide to run the ball Ireland will not cope, if it goes to the ground at least there is some hope of being able to slow the play down. Ireland will need to cope with that running game for 80 minutes. Should they switch off in similar fashion to last Sunday, France will pummel the Irish try line over and over. Vincent Clerc’s first half hat-trick of 2008 may be just a memory, but the French winger also crushed Irish hopes in 2007 and is a player who does not need to be asked twice if he would like score. Julien Malzieu and Wesley Fofana are amongst the most dangerous runners in the game today, Trimble and Bowe will need to be at their sterling best in both attack and defence in order to give any hope of a positive result. ‘The Kiss Factor’ is also something that is significant in Ireland’s prospects this weekend. Coach Les Kiss has dual responsibility for defence and attack since the departure of Alan Gaffney, and with Kiss being a defensive maestro it is difficult to see how he can switch between shutting out and maximising scoring in the blink of an eye. It is not an impossible task for Ireland to get a result in Stade de France, although history would show us that it is damn near as close to impossible as can be. Only the All Blacks have proved as daunting for Ireland in the past, but a win in Paris could give some hope to the Irish camp and fan. The all important win could also give Kidney some breathing space, discontent is mounting against the Cork native, so much so that Rob Kearney came out in the week and asked for blame to be placed on players and not coaches. If we are to win Ireland’s back row will be vital. Heaslip, Ferris and O’Brien are among the best in the world in their respective positions but in the last two games against Wales no real force was seen from the trio. Legendary pundit, George Hook has led the call for change in the pack, heralding Munster’s uncapped Peter O’Mahony, as the logical choice for open side flanker. The French back row will consist of Harinordoquy, Picamoles and Dusautoir. An inspiring troika if ever there was one, perhaps introducing an inexperienced O’Mahony would be ill advised against France but, Kidney will have to examine the team selection should the result go south on Saturday night. A frozen pitch in Paris will be of the least concern to travelling fans. The cold snap in Europe may be severe but the Irish contingent will expect a much improved performance on last weekend’s defeat, no matter the conditions. Ireland will be the underdog and the wounds of the Wales match are still on the surface, but a wounded animal is often the most dangerous, here’s hoping there is plenty of fight left in the dog. Allez les Verts... Danny Murray - @danjomurray
Searching For A Good Omen (and a decent midfield) Posted 1 week, 4 days ago
Ahh, how quickly a Six Nations can go downhill if you are a Scotland fan. One week you are wondering (again) if this is the year, the next you are hoping beyond hope that the Welsh - who have not lost to Scotland in Cardiff since 2002 - suddenly forget they were one spear tackle away from a World Cup final and start playing the sort of rubbish required to allow us into the game. Scotland are of course capable of providing the necessary intensity to force Wales into mistakes, but as usual it is our own mistakes that have haunted us this week. Following the butchery of a cut and dry 2 on 1 against England, Ross Rennie would probably like some pointers on how to draw the man and pass, but it's largely a forgotten art even for ball-players like the Welsh and Irish, never mind the Scottish midfield. Everyone loves a miss pass, or in our case a missed pass. Now the stand-off issue has to a degree been settled with the unfortunately-timed retiral of Dan Parks - allowing us to debate which of the young talents to play, rather than worrying that we have no young talent in that position - attention (and probably the ire of the internet ranters) will turn to the 12 and 13 shirts. Sean Lamont and Nick De Luca are, like Parks, hugely committed to Scotland but also receive their share of stick. Lamont for not passing enough (well, he is a winger) and De Luca for not being as brilliant for Scotland as he frequently is for Edinburgh. The reason Dutchman (and soon to qualify for Scotland) Tim Visser has scored more tries this season himself than the entire Scotland team in the last two Six Nations is largely down to the creative play of De Luca inside him, and the play of inside centres Matt Scott and James King, whose presence means that every second ball doesn't always disappear into contact. A lot of it is also down to Greig Laidlaw who reads a game brilliantly from 9 or 10. If the option is on, Edinburgh take it; this is the sort of heads up rugby that Laidlaw will bring. Our main problem this week is that would have been ideal to take England apart (it so nearly did) but Wales will have much less of a problem dealing with it. With a well-drilled defence they love a counter-attack, they have pacy and skillful backs and no lack of brute strength. Having persisted with bulky wings for years, we ditch ours (or turn them into centres) to go with pace and skill; only to find that the blasted Welsh have found some way to combine the two... There is a little hope, though. With Warburton injured and Davies banned for an off the ball spear-tackle (another one), Scotland will look to get the edge in the set piece, certainly in the lineout. With a platform who knows what Scotland could be capable of, but the problem is the Wales backline is likely to need little more than parity up front in order to exert an influence on the scoreboard. Still we, are exactly where we like to be: massive underdogs. Rory Baldwin - @ScotRugbyBlog
Posted 1 week, 4 days ago
Travelling to a sold-out Stadio Olimpico for a tough encounter against an improving Italian side is the next challenge for Stuart Lancaster’s England side and the interim boss has selected the same 15 gladiators to start in Rome as they did at Murrayfield last weekend. It is the first time England have named an unchanged side in nearly two years and only the eighth time in Six Nations history. Before the game against Scotland, Lancaster highlighted the importance of not making rash decisions and for the side to get some consistency. Therefore it comes as no shock that the boss is willing to reflect those principals in his team selection; he has even named the same replacements’ bench as he did in Edinburgh. Phil Dowson, who had a quite but effective game last weekend, keeps his place despite coming under pressure from the impressive youngster Ben Morgan who made a real impact after coming off the bench in the opening game. Scrum-half Lee Dickson has also managed to make the replacements’ bench despite suffering a hand injury in the win at Murrayfield and should continue to pressurise Ben Youngs for the number 9 jersey. Lancaster’s belief that formerly-injured players shouldn’t just walk back into the team is coming to fruition as the fit-again Toby Flood is being asked to play for his club side Leicester Tigers and prove that he deserves a place in the international side. Charlie Hodgson will continue to wear the number 10 shirt in Rome after a good performance against Scotland, a game in which he scored the only try. Overall, this selection is a hugely positive one for English rugby as it shows the belief and confidence that Lancaster has in his side to get the job done. Before the win last week, all they had to show for their efforts were a few sagely-chosen words and some impressive PR but now with a result to back up their talk, this England side could go from strength to strength throughout this tournament. All players love continuity and most of the partnerships in the England side are just beginning to blossom. If they show that consistency that Lancaster craves then another victory away from home could be on the cards. England team to face Scotland: Ben Foden; Chris Ashton; Brad Barritt, Owen Farrell, David Strettle; Charlie Hodgson; Ben Youngs; Alex Corbisiero, Dylan Hartley, Dan Cole; Mouritz Botha, Tom Palmer; Tom Croft, Chris Robshaw (captain), Phil Dowson Ashley Lambell @ntfcash
February 7, 2012 Wales got it right when things went wrong Posted 2 weeks, 1 day ago
Wales’s win in Dublin was hugely significant for the players, the coaching staff and the nation, but not for the obvious reasons. This was, of course, a vital away win on the opening weekend of the Championship, and it was earned against a much vaunted Irish team who had shunned the opportunity to rebuild and instead picked a squad and starting XV with the clear intent of winning the championship. But the significance of Wales’s victory is greater than its impact on this year’s Six Nations table. This was the win that the rugby world has said that Wales must master. The win where things go wrong, yet the team still manage to close out a victory. The win that the All Blacks and South Africa routinely execute whether home or away. The build-up to the game wasn’t ideal. Wales had a raft of pre-tournament injuries. Alun Wyn Jones and Luke Charteris were the long-term casualties, whilst Gethin Jenkins, Dan Lydiate and Matthew Rees added to the worries late on. These are the sort of injuries that would have knocked the Welsh team sideways in previous years. Few teams can afford to lose two British Lions and a player of Lydiate’s quality, yet Wales coped. Ryan Jones was superb at the Aviva. He carried the ball 11 times, mostly in the narrow channels, which freed Toby Faletau to run into the spaces that appear in the 10/12/13 channels. Rhys Gill was a more than able replacement for Gethin Jenkins. He controlled Mike Ross in the scrum and carried well in the loose. As too did Huw Bennett, the Welsh Hooker who replaced Matthew Rees. But whilst Bennett’s ball carrying and scrummaging are rarely questioned – the same cannot be said of his ability to control the flight of a Gilbert Virtuo Match Ball. Which brings me to the line-out. The Welsh lineout functioned at 71.4% - the lowest lineout succession rate of any team in the opening weekend. Four or five seasons ago losing 4 lineouts from 14 would have derailed Welsh momentum, yet this time it didn’t. The Welsh lineout was undoubtedly poor, but the goal kicking was worse. A kick success rate of 42.9%, as it was on Sunday, is spectacularly bad in Test rugby. Wales’s goal kicking problems have been building since the transition from Stephen Jones to Rhys Preistland took place during the summer. But despite poor kicking being one of the major reasons why Wales struggled to fulfil their true potential in the World Cup against Ireland, the Welsh overcame it. Wales’s final problem came courtesy of Bradley Davies’s Mexican wrestling impression in the 65th minute. It was one of the most ill-conceived and malicious incidents that I have witnessed in professional rugby. It ranks up there with Tana Umaga and Kevin Mealamu’s tag team manoeuvre on Brian O’Driscoll in 2005. ‘Tip tackles’ have already cost Wales a place in the World Cup Final and it looked as though Davies’s lunacy would have a similar effect in Dublin. Luckily, it didn’t. Whilst a few things did go wrong on Sunday, plenty went right. Despite missing four of their first choices, the Welsh tight five delivered 57% possession and 58% territory – and that’s with the inability to maintain possession and territory via lineout possession. Ian Evans stood out in particular. He looked like a man making up for lost time, carrying the ball 11 times, making 9 tackles and missing none. If the Welsh pack bullied the Irish, the Welsh backs actions verged on grievous bodily harm. The current Welsh three quarters are truly enormous and their impact on the diminutive Gordon D’Arcy and Fergus McFadden was memorable. Sextons inclusion meant that the Welsh didn’t target the usually fragile ten channel and instead focused on the 12/13 channel. The result was that the Irish centres had to make 27 tackles between them. But these weren’t the sort of tackles that involve neatly nipping at a Welsh centre’s heels as he attempts to glide around your outside shoulder, these were the sort of tackles that make you wish you had retired after the World Cup. Whilst Roberts, and Jon Davies in particular, owned the midfield, it was George North who attracted the deepest intakes of breath. North is beginning to make seasoned internationals look naive. He has drawn comparisons with Jonah Lomu, and in the sixth minute of the game, the comparison became very apt. North took the ball from an almost standing start, brushed aside Jamie Heaslip and began bearing down on Rob Kearney as Lomu did with Mike Catt in 1995. Admittedly, Kearney made a better fist of it than Catt and committed to the tackle, but the result was the same – there’s something unedifying about seeing a Lions’ fullback rolling around on his back like an upturned turtle. Yesterday’s performance wasn’t just about Wales’ ball carriers, the ball players also played well. Despite a terrible performance kicking from the tee, and a few loose tactical kicks, Rhys Preistland once again released the Welsh three-quarters in a way that no other Welsh ten can. It is a pleasure to watch him scan the field, and change the point of attack at will. His mid-range pass is always ‘in front’ and affords the receiver every opportunity to get over the gain line. Priestland’s passes also have a relatively loose spiral and are easy to catch, resulting in fewer handling errors in the backline. Leigh Halfpenny’s stature may be dwarfed by the rest of the backline, but his contribution was once again gigantic. He started the game at fullback with no kicking responsibilities and ended the game on the wing with the weight of Welsh expectation on his shoulders. Whilst Alex Cuthbert’s rather cutthroat removal saw Halfpenny end up on the wing, he is becoming one of the best fullbacks in Europe – and that is surely where Gatland sees his future. Wales’ win in Dublin was enormous. They got it right even when things were going wrong. I can’t wait to see what happens when everything goes right. Paul Williams - @thepaulwilliams
Posted 2 weeks, 1 day ago
Andy Robinson asked for chaos ahead of the Calcutta Cup match, but it wasn't quite the chaos that he had hoped for. I am sure he envisioned an onslaught of hefty runners offloading at pace and grinding the young England into the muddy turf of Murrayfield, regaining consciousness to find themselves down by a healthy margin and the Scots rampant. Dropped balls, knock ons, wobbly scrums and penalties in the middle of the park were probably not what was in the game plan. The rain and snow never really materialised, and aside from a big break by Jim Hamilton Scotland's early efforts to take the game to England were rebuffed. Most of the running was done by England's back three as Dan Parks kicked leisurely balls to them in plenty of space. It was still helter-skelter stuff on display, but George Clancy's decisions went both ways. As the game wore on and Scotland grew desperate, the decisions skewed distinctly in favour of England who by then had a sniff and were resolute in putting the game beyond Scotland; despite coming off second best in territory, possession, passes and missed tackles - but not the scoreboard. Hodgson's try was against the run of the whole match, but it gave this young England side the edge they needed in a match that should never have been this close. You feel for the Scotland pack in a game like this. Ross Rennie and David Denton were the most outstanding, but everyone carried manfully and often. The scrum was a mixed bag, the lineout was solid. In return the backs did what Scotland backs have done for years: ran sideways or into blind alleys, failed to pop up in support, or threw passes to no-one, or kicked away possession. Sprinkle little mistakes from everyone on top of that particular cake and it begins to taste a bit stale. Sean Lamont at inside centre was virtually anonymous in the first hour - not necessarily his fault as he had little ball, but if Scotland are going to make the best of their outside backs (Lamont included) - who do have talent, who can beat their man and even pass sometimes - then they are going to need a more creative axis at 10 and 12. And so to Parks. He didn't have his worst game, but before there was no-one of any great quality to replace him. Now we have Laidlaw and Weir waiting in the wings; neither is the finished article, but they could offer more to a Scotland team even at their current level. This means that every mistake Parks makes now only amplifies the groans around the ground, and around the country. It also puts undue pressure on Andy Robinson who seems once again to be clinging to favourites and distracting attention from the genuine progress he has made in every area save try-scoring. Laidlaw's self-made "try" was fairly dubious, but it highlighted the difference he would have made had he been on from the start. Suddenly the backs started to look like they knew what they were doing, compared to say a fancy attacking move in the first half that ended with Parks throwing a cheeky wee pass behind to no-one. With this result putting paid to the need to chase wins above all else (no Grand Slam this time!) perhaps we can see what the next generation have to offer. Never mind victory at all costs, we just want our Scotland team not to look hopeless.
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